Related

EDMONTON - If there was ever any doubt that high school “drama kids” are committed and expert enough to negotiate the trickiest reaches of the showbiz repertoire, it has to be dispelled by St. Joseph’s production of Noises Off. That school’s production of the sublimely intricate 1982 nine-door (well, eight and a window) three-act farce-within-a-farce carried off top honours in the outstanding play category at the fifth annual Edmonton Cappies gala Sunday night at the Citadel.

Its counterpart in musical theatre, requiring a comparably light touch and sense of moussed effortlessness, is Legally Blonde The Musical, in which the spirits of self-mockery and empowerment duke it out in pink at Harvard law school. Strathcona High School’s production scooped up top prize among the nominated Cappies musicals of this past season.

Cappies — shorthand for the Critics and Award Program based out of Washington, D.C. — were handed out in 39 categories from the Citadel Theatre’s Maclab stage on Sunday, honouring every aspect of theatre, in performance, design, production, and even marketing and reviewing. In fact, it’s the brigade of Cappies critics, some 200 strong, whose votes determined the awards recipients at Sunday’s gala.

And in a rare departure from theatre practice, the top critics themselves came away with Cappies for their reviews of productions from the 25 Edmonton and area high schools who partnered with the Journal in the program. The top critics team was from Strathcona High School, with Bellerose reviewer Cole Van Der Velden taking home the Grade 12 best-critic Cappie and Ross Sheppard reviewers claiming the grade 10 and 11 prizes.

In addition to its winning critics’ team, Strathcona received eight Cappies for Legally Blonde, including one for lead actress Sydney Williams and another for lead actor Henry Shin. St. Joseph’s Noises Off took home five awards. Other multiple award winners included Paul Kane and Harry Ainley high schools, with four Cappies each for their productions of White Christmas and Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, respectively.

Ecole J.H. Picard received three Cappies for their production of the landmark Kander and Ebb musical Cabaret. And Victoria School of the Arts’ version of The Odyssey, Archbishop Jordan’s The Velveteen Rabbit, Strathcona Christian Academy’s Oliver! and St. Albert Catholic High School’s account of Arthur Miller’s great anti-McCarthyite drama The Crucible each received two Cappies

Winner(s): Niko Ouellette, Victoria School of the Arts, The Odyssey, by Mary Zimmerman

Lead Actress in a Musical

Winner(s): Sydney Williams, Strathcona High School, Legally Blonde

Lead Actor in a Musical

Winner(s): Henry Shin, Strathcona High School, Legally Blonde

Song

Winner(s): Blue Skies, Paul Kane High School, White Christmas

Play

Winner(s): Noises Off, St. Joseph High School

Musical

Winner(s): Legally Blonde, Strathcona High School

Grade 12 critic

Cole Van Der Velden, Bellerose High School

Grade 11 critic

Naomi Brierley, Ross Sheppard High School

Grade 10 critic

Georgia Ashworth, Ross Sheppard High School

Critic team

Strathcona High School

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.